Mountain and Forest Kingdom

The cold winter of the new year is coming, and there will be a long period of quiet and nothing to do before the cold winter comes.

Except for the workers and sailors at the docks and the craftsmen in the mountains, most people can stop and relax a little without having to rush back and forth for food and drink for the family.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that the whole family does nothing. The adults still do things that seem to never be finished.

The men would go out drinking and discuss the war on the front lines.

Women would gather together and knit threads to knit hats and socks for children in winter.

Lawrence is receiving guests from various countries in the town of Pumexiu.

Renovation and construction of houses have already begun in Dummhamn, but it will take some time to start, preferably in the spring.

We still have to discuss it slowly for a while. Lawrence doesn't have much time to take care of this kind of thing, and the efficiency of the people below is very low. It's normal for it to drag on for half a year.

It won't take longer because the housing issue is an intuitive issue.

The main birth force in the Ice Land are the slaves who first followed the prophet. These people will definitely raise their opinions if their own houses are not enough.

They won't go to Lawrence directly for advice, but they will find ways to solve the problem.

When there are many people, opinions will be reached.

Lawrence paid little attention to the war and left the fighting to his men.

If you win, you will be rewarded. If you lose, as long as you don't make some stupid mistakes and the losses caused are not big, you won't go into details.

Regardless of whether he wins or loses, he will select some outstanding talents for training. Lawrence doesn't like to give orders, but he likes to watch the replays of the entire battle.

Because Lawrence has a sandbox that occupies the size of a room, it is very interesting for Lawrence, who lacks entertainment, to review the entire battle.

"Master, the envoy from Pig Trotter City has arrived."

"Um."

Lawrence asked Ruth, the sea maiden and maid, to go down, and he changed into regular clothes.

Salil and others were resting in Oak City. This year they did not go back to Snow Mountain Castle due to the war and had to spend the New Year in Oak City.

Laurence was accompanied by sisters Catherine and Cassandra, while Heidi and Sophia shared their knowledge at the academy.

Catherine and Cassandra were both dressed in elegant clothes.

There is no silk here, but there are many fine cloths and strange plants.

There are some very tough vines in the Elf Forest, which can be kneaded into silk threads to make soft and breathable clothes. However, the output is extremely low and there is no possibility of promotion. Lawrence only uses it for underwear.

Catherine and Cassandra were wearing fluffy leather coats. They were both tall and beautiful, with a cool aura.

Catherine is a sister-like beauty with long straight black hair, and Cassandra also has long black hair, but it is a little wavy.

The two beauties are both female knights who are good at swordsmanship and riding. Although they have basically never fought since they were with Lawrence, their foundation has not been lost over the years, and they will exercise regularly to maintain their figure and health.

Catherine and Cassandra wore golden crowns given to them by Lawrence.

Lawrence gave everyone a different tiara. Catherine had a white tiara made of leather and metal, with the top mainly made of platinum and a unicorn pattern.

Cassandra's crown is the Star of Wisdom, a golden radioactive-shaped metal ring similar to the Statue of Liberty's crown, with patterns of stars and books.

Salil is a forehead protector that represents hard-working women and women, with a flame pattern on it.

Sophia is a metal tiara like a corolla with a flower pattern on it.

Heidi is a decorative headband made of white pearl strings and silver pendants. The pendants are precious gems obtained from the ocean. Because Heidi came to this place from the sea, her own abilities are also related to water, so Decorate with pearls and ocean gems.

Lathander's crown is simpler, a regular metal crown, heavy and solemn, representing order.

Khalan's crown is a relatively light metal ring, similar to a cheap paper birthday crown, but made of gold with a pattern of golden wheat ears on it.

The rest of the people's tiaras were also carefully decided by Lawrence. Lawrence's own hat was more casual, an ordinary ruby ​​tiara.

Over the years, Lawrence has gradually improved order and systems, established standard wages and working hours for all walks of life, and also clarified promotion and reward mechanisms.

In addition, Lawrence did a lot of things for his own convenience and for the convenience of others.

The envoy from Telandatho City quickly arrived at the meeting hall of Pumixiu Town.

The population pressure at Dumu Port is too great, especially in autumn and winter when outside businessmen come.

Lawrence did not interfere with Dumu Port. He not only asked some wizards who might be in the way to leave there as soon as possible, but also sent some troublesome officers and young people to go out to fight. He also led a group of people to Pumexiu Town.

Pumixiu Town is better than Dumu Port. It can continue to expand and use water sources from nearby mountains to solve the water problem.

In these years, Dumu Port has mainly developed economy, and Pumixiu Town has mainly developed industrial, military and educational issues.

The envoy from Telangtahoe City is Lawrence's old friend, Earl Rodney.

Durand is dead, killed in a duel with a young boy who was just starting out.

This kind of thing is common in the barbarian world.

The older people will eventually make way for the young people.

The protagonists in each story, as well as the legendary warriors, are basically those young people.

No one knows who has been given the title of the First Knight of Sidre. After a few years, no one will remember this former First Knight.

Lawrence looked at Rodney, who had aged a lot.

"Rodney, I'm glad to see you again."

Rodney was an old knight when he first met Lawrence. Now, more than ten years have passed, he is even older.

The former Earl of Sidre, the current Duke of Trandahik City, is a middle-aged man who is not even forty years old.

"Yes, kind prophet, I am also very happy to stand here and meet you."

Rodney responded with a smile, becoming more respectful while being familiar.

The barbarians in the Ice Land have always been very reverent to the gods.

From the early sacrifices to the attitude towards the prophet later, and the whole Loven Kingdom's fawning attitude towards the church, they have been constantly proving this point.

Lawrence changed everyone's views because he set up a church and defeated the Western Church.

But it only changed a goal, focusing the barbarians' beliefs, and did not break the barbarians' beliefs and awe.

The closer Rodney got to death, the more he feared Lawrence.

When he was young, he would challenge the gods and order, but when he got older, he slowly accepted it.

Lawrence did not put on airs in front of this old friend. He asked the woman beside him to leave, and he and Rodney sat down next to the small table on the balcony.

"Does the Duke have any questions? I will handle the matter with the Holy Church, and try not to affect you, and I am willing to give a certain amount of money as compensation."

Rodney quickly said: "No, the Duke and the nobles in the territory are willing to cooperate with you in the battle, and they don't think it's troublesome. This is a sacred battle to prove our bravery and wash away the shame of the past!"

Lawrence suddenly remembered the subordinates of Lofen III.

Although almost twenty years have passed, and although it was actually himself who defeated the Kingdom of Lofen, the barbarians of the entire Barbarian Kingdom do not think of themselves as enemies.

On the contrary, all the barbarians in this land think that the Southern Church is the enemy.

Most people don't actually have much hatred for the West, but only for the South.

This hatred comes from the long-term plunder of the South. Although they are the invading party, many people have been educated in this way, that is, to fight the South.

Especially after Lofen III was killed by the southerners, hatred was formed.

Most of Lofen III's men were in the south and Pig's Hoof City. Lawrence did not take the initiative to accept these people in recent years. It was just that some people thought their side was better and came here on their own initiative.

Now the Star Country and the South are at war. Pig's Hoof City has been at peace for ten years and really wants to fight.

"Many people here want to go to war. Is it the same over there?"

"Yes." Rodney replied, "My sons and grandsons all want to go to war, want the territory in the south, and they want more women and fields."

Lawrence nodded, "The fertile land in the south really attracts many people."

Compared with the Ice Land, the south is indeed much more fertile.

If the south is conquered, not only will there be a large population to use, but there will also be more fields and land to solve the population problem.

"Does the Duke have any suggestions?" Lawrence asked about the idea of ​​Pig's Hoof City.

Rodney explained, "The Duke is willing to cooperate with your battle plan and is willing to personally lead troops to fight against the Holy Light Church."

"Very good, but you must also pay attention to safety." Lawrence smiled and agreed.

Rodney smiled and said, "No, we bought twenty cannons from here, and those cannons can kill the bastards in the church."

Lawrence smiled and said nothing, thinking about these people's attitude towards half-bloods.

Bastard is an insult. In the perception of the barbarians, half-bloods are not good things. They, like wizards, advocate pure blood.

Lawrence also advocates pure blood, but most of his children are half-blood, and the territory has absorbed a large number of immigrants from outside, resulting in many people being half-blood.

At present, most people in the Ice Land will not say much about blood, but they have this perception in their hearts.

Lawrence does not want to change. If the main ethnic group tolerates the outside half-blood, it will be a betrayal to the barbarian warriors who provide great help in the rise.

Lawrence has always regarded the barbarians as a whole, not individuals like Beow and Fries.

He has also given a lot of rewards to these individual berserkers, but in terms of cognition and thinking, he still regards all pure-blood barbarians as a whole, whether it is preferential treatment or compensation, he will start from the whole.

In the normal system recognized by Lawrence, it is reasonable for pure-blooded barbarians to be respected, but he does not want people to discriminate against mixed-bloods.

Lawrence listened to Rodney's nagging. Rodney was a diplomatic talent. He was not good at fighting, but he was very successful as a noble.

As a confidant of the Duke, Rodney's status has always been much higher than that of the deceased Grande.

Those who can fight may not be trusted, and it is often the other way around.

After roughly understanding the ideas and expectations of the Pig Trotter City, Lawrence gave a clear answer.

"We have cooperated for many years, and both sides have a foundation of trust. I am also willing to continue to maintain it."

"In this battle with the Holy Light Church, our warriors and wizards from the Kingdom of Stars are the main force, but for friends who are willing to cooperate, we are also willing to share part of the fruits of victory."

Rodney received a satisfactory reply, "Yes, thank you, kind prophet!"

Lawrence plans to buy territory from Pig Trotter City in a few years.

Selling territory is not uncommon in this era.

In this era, if you lose a war, you will also cede land as compensation.

The relationship between Pig Trotter City and the Kingdom of Stars has always been very good. Lawrence is willing to buy territory and is willing to give everyone satisfactory compensation, so the matter is actually very easy to handle.

The barbarians are not attached to the old land at all, and they have no history of using one place as the capital for a long time.

Since the barbarians walked out of the mountains and forests, they have been moving south.

Lawrence helped Sidel take over Pig Trotter City, and they went to Pig Trotter City and gave their original home to Lawrence.

These barbarians with hands and feet believe that the territory can be sold, and they can also conquer better land by force.

It sounds ridiculous, but they have always been like this, and it is others who are killed.

There is no problem with buying territory. As long as the south is conquered, the people of Pig Trotter City will be willing to go to the south.

It doesn't matter if they don't want to, anyway, the Star Country is not an outsider.

It's like the capital wants to buy a piece of land in a nearby province, and everyone here will change their household registration.

When hearing this news, the people here will only laugh and cry, and no one with a normal mind will object.

The nobles of Pig Trotter City are all Lawrence's subordinates. They don't have the courage to oppose Lawrence's proposal, but instead want to become nobles of the Star Country.

What Lawrence wants to do is not immoral, nor is it a dirty thing to steal chickens and dogs.

Soon Lawrence told Rodney about his ideas.

"I will write a letter to the Duke later, but the letter may not be understood clearly, so please help me and the Duke explain my meaning clearly."

"I will provide a larger and better territory than Pig Trotter City."

"The Duke can become king, this is allowed."

"Because my wife is a native of the Kingdom of Northen in the south, I hope to take back those places, and the rest of the better land, or the original kingdom and church station are all fine."

Lawrence doesn't like too unfamiliar land, nor does he want to divide the land too scattered, so he asked for a small country as an agricultural area.

Rodney bowed his head respectfully, "The Duke will agree, he doesn't want to be just a Duke."

Lawrence looked at Rodney, "What about you? Do you plan to go to the south, or continue in Pig Trotter City?"

Rodney said carefully: "I'm old, I can't fight anymore, now I just want to be closer to the God of Stars and the Great Prophet."